Gideon's Trumpet (9 page)

Mr. Abe Fortas, Esquire

1229 Nineteenth St. N.W.

Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

In answer to your letter of October 31. I will try to give you a detailed biographical description of my life. You will understand that due to my limited education and
also to the utter folly and hopelessness [of] parts of my life, it will be doubtful if I can put it down on paper with any reasonable comprehension. I will not be proud of this biography, it will be no cause of pride; nor will it be the absolute truth. I can not remember or desire to remember that well. You have emphasize that this is not at all necessary, that you only want it for background. I believe that the state will attempt to use my personal record in their arguments to the Supreme Court and for that reason you can be prepared. Also being only a human being I will try though I know I can not, to justify myself through this outline.

I was born August 30th, 1910 in Hannibal Missouri. My parents where Charles Roscoe Gideon and Virginia Gregory Gideon. My father died a few days after I was three years old. Mother remarried when I was five years old. My stepfather’s name was Marion Frances Anderson he died in 1955. Mother is still living. From this union I have a halve sister Mrs. Roy E. Ogden forty-five years old R.F.D. #1, Hannibal Mo. A halve brother Sgt. Russell Lee Anderson, U.S.A.F. Mother resides at 2121 Chestnut Street Hannibal Mo. My brother is thirty-two years of age.

My early membery is of my mother’s marriage and my step-father. My step-father was a good man all though he was uneducated and worked the largest part of his life in shoe factory. also my mother. We where a family of factory workers class. But allways own their own home, which my mother had first bought with my father’s insurance. I went to the public school at Hannibal, Mo. I never had any trouble and made my grades up to the eight grade.

My step-father never could accept me or I could not accept him. My mother was very strict and my life as a child was of the strict discipline. My parents lived by the
best moral customs and where members of the Calavary Baptist church Hannibal Mo. which I join when I was about thirteen years of age. My mother still to this day has done nothing that could be class as wrong. Also my sister and brother are of the best kind of character.

I suppose, I am what is called individualist a person who will not conform. Anyway my parents where always quarreling and I would be the scapegoat of those quarrels. My life was miserable. I was never allow to do the things of a ordinory boy.

At the age of fourteen year, I ran away from home, I accepted the life of a hobo and tramp in preference to my home. In a month or so I made it to California. At this time I begin to learn the facts of life. How good people can be and how bad they can be I wandered around over the west for all most a year and came back to Missouri. When to my mother’s brother and started living with him until my mother found out where I was at and she came and got me. Had me place in the jail at Hannibal which I excaped from the next day and went back to the country to hide out at this time it was extremely cold weather and a short time later I burglarist a country store for some clothes which I was caught the next day by the store owner with all the clothes on. I was tried in juvnile court in Ralls County Missouri. My mother ask the court to send me to the reformatory which they did for a term of three years. Off all the prisons I have been in that was the worst I still have scar on my body from the whippings I recieved there anyway I was paroled after a year. I was then sixteen years old. Paroles did not mean much in those days. I went to work in the shoe factory at two dollars a day. But was soon put on a piece work job where I made about twenty-five dollars a week I soon married a girl my own age and started a
home of my own we done very well together for better than a year until I got without a job and I comitted some crimes in 1928. I was caught and thru a court appointed attorney was sentenced to the Missouri Prison for ten years for robbery with three sentences of Burglary and larcney running concurantly. I was eighteen years of age at this time and prisons where bad in those days. This prison had about five thousand inmates at that time and at the end of three years and four months I was paroled as I said before paroles did not mean much then.

When I was released, around the sixth of January 1932. I was twenty-two years old. This was in the middle of the depression years and jobs just could not be found even for experence labor and trades. I know nothing but shoe factory which I worked at in prison. I lived by my wits and only had one job in a shoe factory up to sometime in later part of 1934. When I was arrested for stealing government property to wit a armory. I was tried in Federal Court and on a plea of guilty was sentenced to Ft. Leavenworth Kansas prison for a term of three years with a concurant sentence of three years for conspiracy. I worked in shoe factory again. During this time I saved a little money that I was paid by the prison my parents had lost their home during the depersion. So I sent them my money to make a down payment on another place. I done a little over two years and was released on contional release January 1937. There still where not any jobs all though the government was helping the people by this time I was not entitled to any of this because by this time I am a outcast.

During the years of 1937 thru 1940 I done the same as always was arrested in Pike County Mo. some time in Later part of 1939 and escaped from jail was arrested about a year later in Adrain County Mo. for the crime of
Burglary and Larcney was tried under the second affender law by a jury and was found guilty, sentenced to state Prison for a term of ten years for Burglary and five years for Larcney to run concurantly admitted to Prison December 31st 1940 escaped from Prison in September of 1943. I falsified a personal record and draft card, went to work in train service as a brakeman. Southern Pacific Railroad in Houston Texas. Work there during the war. Until October of 1944. When I was caught thru the wanted list of the True Detective Magazine, taken back to Mo. state and stayed there until January of 1950 when I was released. Went back to Texas and started gambling was married to Virgil Hoff in 1950 seperated in 1951. Was arrested in Orange County Texas in July of 1951 and on a plea of guilty was sentenced to the State Prison for a term of two years in about thirteen months I was released. Went back to Orange Texas to live. Worked as a cook on tug boat out of Orange Texas and gambled. Taken sick and broke down with Tuberculosis of my right lung in april of 1953. Was hospitalized in the Marine Hospital, U.S. Public Health Service at New Orleans and recieved medical treatment for about eighteen months in October of 1954 received surgery of a section of the upper lobe of my right lung. Left the Hospital for Christmas of 1954. Went back to my mother’s at Hannibal Mo for a visit on New years day of 1955, married Mrs. Velma Cooper of Hannibal. We went back to Orange Texas to live. At this time I had quite a lot of money and I bought a the Orange Domino Club there a Pool hall, domino’es and beer palor. about six months later I left my wife and sued her for divorce which was granted thirty days later. In October, 1955, I married my present wife, Ruth ada Babineaux. Ruth worked for me at this time and I seen her beat down in a Court Room at Orange for the custody
of her two boys Ralph Babineaux who is now thirteen years old and Joe Babineaux who is now twelve years old they were taken by thier father Sofastand Babineaux of Lake Charles La. Ruth had a daughter Donna Marie who remained in her custody Donna is now seven years old. Later I married her and taken Donna out of a Foster Home I remember it cost me eighty dollars, and a short time after our marriage I taken back the two boys. In July of 1956 my first boy was born Ronald Earl Gideon who is now six years old. At this time I sold the Domino Club for two thousand dollars to Mr. Roy H. Stokes who now lives at 501 Duval street, Tallahassee Florida. I went back to working tug boats and gambling. On December 31st 1957 my second boy was born David Wayne Gideon who is now almost five years old. I started another place of business in Orange some time in 1957 which was never very successful I worked most of the time then as a guard or watchman for the Orange protective association. I decided to leave Orange because my personal record was holding me down so I came to Panama City, Florida. I went to work as a Auto Electric mechanic and a month later my wife sold out the place in Orange Texas which was named Smitty’s Bar. The same being my nick name which I recieved from my Alias name when I worked on the railroad of Barney Adrian Smith. She brought the children and came to Panama City at this time we had five children. I found that the standard of living and wages in Panama City was much lower than those of Texas and I just barely could get by so I started gambling again. I run afoul of a poker game which was run by Mr. J.C. Tyndall of Springfield Fla. which is ajoining Panama City but has it’s own municipality. I believe that the only organize crime in this state is in this form. Which consist of a mayor who is also Judge about three commissioners
a chief of Police and a night policeman Anyway J.C. Tyndal had been a commissioner but was not at this time. He was running this Poker game close by my house and I am known as a mechanic in playing cards. I beat this game serval times the last time for about one hundred and fifty dollars. This game was protected by the chief of Police a man by the name of Charlie Kitteral. I was arrested by him and charge with Breaking and Entering to comitt a misdemeanor. This was July of 1959 I was placed in County Jail never given a hearing nor preliminary Trial and on 16th of September I went to trial without counsel, the Court refused to give me counsel. There was only one witness ever to take the stand that was J.C. Tyndal the Trial Judge the late Clay E. Lewis stop the trial and give me a direct virdict of not guilty, with the District attorney asking the court to hold me so he might file further charges. The judge allowed him three days after five days I was released after filing a petition for a writ of Habeas Corpus. J.C. Tyndall a few months later was arrested and convicted of transporting whiskey was sentenced to two years by Federal court to U.S. Prison Tallahassee Florida.

My youngest child and daughter was born April 30th 1959. So this left my wife with six children. During the time I am in jail my wife went to work in a Beer joint in order to feed the children because we where not entitled to welfare. Please bare in mind that this part of the Country is in what is known as the Bible Belt, practically everone is a good Christian, there is lot of churches. During my time in jail the welfare Dept. decided that my children where not being taken care of proper which they where not. They taken the children and placed them in Foster Homes My wife broke over this and started to drink and I don’t think she ever got over it.

When I was released from jail I went back to work that
day as a Auto Electric Mechanic on commission basis I hunted up my wife and went to the welfare and got my children. But my wife was to far gone to straiten out and I could get no help from the social workers Once hearing a wise old Doctor say that the best thing for a poor person who did not have the money to hire psychiatry, the best thing is to send them to church. So I decided to use the church. I do not like the idea of forcing my children are enticing them to believe in any certain religion but I have always wanted them to learn the moral respect that the people of this country has and of all the great religions I have pick the christian religion because it is based on love. So in my desperation I pick a Baptist church because that had been my church when I was a little boy Now I class that organization in the same class as I do the K.K.K. Because they hate to many persons and things anyway for the want of something better I took this way

I started ever Sunday morning of dressing the children and myself up and going to the Cedar Grove Baptist church at Cedar Grove Florida another one of those little municipality I mention before I believe it is listed as one of the worst speed traps not to even be on a major highway by the A.A.A. The people of the church accepted my children with all thier heart but me they just tolerated cause they where mind. My strategy worked my wife decided to go to church with us so I bought her some new clothes and she took a big interest in everthing.

About this time I took down sick with a terriable pain in my chest having no money I went to the county clinic for a X ray and later went to the Welfare the family service of Panama City. They would not help but sent me to the hospital and the Doctor on duty Doctor Webb sent me back to the County Clinic for Sputum Test. At this time the family service paid my rent. The first sputum
test that went to the hospital at Tallahassee, Fla. The W.T. Edwards Hospital. Came back positive. The County Nurse was there next day asking me to sign papers to go to the Hospital at Tallahassee which I did. I did not work no more nor did I go to church any more. The welfare or rather the family service gave us ten dollars a week then and until I went to the Hospital which was December 31st 1959.

My wife’s interest in the church had matured to the point that when I went to Hospital the church was practicable taking care of my family. But did you ever try to take care of six children on a bill for ten dollars in groceries.

I sent my wife to the Dept. of Public welfare and they said they would investigate which after a time a month or two they said they could not pay my family the American Child Support which in this state is only eighty-one dollars a month they rejected it on account of my record of course my wife’s too. Now most of this money comes to the states to be admisterated by them, but there is restrictions on not giving it to needy children. I don’t know for sure but I can find out and I will. That most of the dollar that comes to this state goes to the cost of admisteration and not to needy children.

In the meantime the church is helping to take care of the children and after three months of examinations the staff of Doctors diagnosed my trouble as Atypical tuberculosis. That there was a infection in my lung and I would have to have surgery. Remember, I had surgery before and I hated to take it again but I sign for it.